The conundrum now comes due to the fact that the Cardinals dodged a bullet. It now appears that Shelby Miller, after taking a line drive off his pitching elbow on the second pitch of the game, will not be headed to the disabled list and may not even miss a scheduled start. That’s good news.

Should the Cardinals decide that Shelby would benefit from a 15-day disabled list visit, the team is in pretty good shape. Martinez would stay and assume Miller’s rotation spot and Peterson could be recalled immediately without having to wait for the 10-game window of time to pass. Players sent to the minor leagues have to remain there for 10 days unless they are promoted to assume the roster spot of a player going to the disabled list.

In this scenario, the team would only work with a short bench for a day or two and not be concerned with the need for the extra arm in the bullpen.

Scenario 2 – Miller is fine, does not miss a start

It is strange to say that this may be the hardest scenario for the team. Due to the lack of a long-reliever on the team, they effectively burnt two starters, Miller and Westbrook, in last night’s game. Martinez will make the start tonight but then be unavailable for five days. The team would, most likely, send Martinez back to the minors for a relief pitcher after his start in this scenario. The problem is, since no one is going on the disabled list, the options for relievers become a bit more limited. A short bench is one thing but a short bench and a short bullpen is another.